The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

'Chase and hit' drug dealers: Jokowi

Indonesia's president has called on people to "chase, catch and hit" drug dealers, saying they have found new ways to "trick people" and must be stopped.

Speaking at an event marking International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Sunday, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said the number of drug users across the country was increasing, with around 40 to 50 youths dying every day because of drugs.

Drug dealers, he told the rally in Jakarta, have found new ways to "trick people", by using women and children as couriers and hiding illicit substances in toys, prosthetic legs and other goods.

He called on all security agencies to combat the "extraordinary crime".

"We declared war against drugs in Indonesia. I want to remind all of us, chase them! Catch them! Hit them!" he told the crowd.

According to a statement from the presidential palace, the crowd cheered louder when Jokowi said: "Remember ladies and gentlemen, 40 - 50 our youths died because of drugs. If the laws allowed it - `bang' (shoot) them!

"Luckily, the laws doesn't allow that.

Related Articles

"With power and determination from all of us, we'll chase those drugs dealers. Anywhere there's drugs in Indonesia, I order all government resources to be present and to eliminate it. Our country Indonesia could not be the place for drugs trafficking and dealing no more, especially for producing those forbidden goods," he added.

Jokowi has previously declared the war against drugs an "emergency" in Indonesia and used it to justify executions of offenders, despite widespread international outcry.

The Attorney-General's office has flagged that 16 people will face a firing squad in Indonesia this year, with the budget to execute another 30 in 2017.

There are more than 200 people on death row in Indonesia, 58 of which are for drug-related crimes.

The attorney-general has said that the country is likely to resume executions after the national holiday Idul Fitri in July.